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A Peek Into My Party Closet

ByDiane Henkler

After my post on how I planned to entertain outside for the Fourth of July, a few readers asked me to please show what is in my “Party Closet”.

Never heard of a party closet? It is a must if you host family, friends and others in your home. It is my #1 tip that makes entertaining at home easy.

After the long Fourth of July holiday weekend with a houseful of overnight guests, the Party Closet was used hard and needed some straightening out this morning. It was a good time to take a few photos so I could show you what I keep in the closet.

Dark hallway decorating idea. White vertical paneling on lower 3/4 of wall and navy blue wall paint on top. White doors with handmade signs on them telling what is behind each door.

My Party Closet is in the “hallway of darkness” that can also be called the “hallway of many doors”. When we first moved into the house I wasn’t sure what I would store in these closets, but came up with the idea of expanding one of them from my “party basket” concept into a Party Closet.

The hallway has four 6-panel doors that I painted white and one set of bifold doors that cover the laundry area.

Hallway and doors where French Enameled signs will be hung
DIY French enamel look signs

You may remember when I made DIY French Enamel look signs for each door to label what was behind each and to give the hallway a little character without adding any clutter.

2 white interior paneled doors with DIY painted signs that say, Garage and Party in a narrow hallway with navy blue walls and transom.

In this hallway, I have made over or updated the walls, the powder room, China Closet and laundry area, and even made a faux transom with mirrors. The only thing I haven’t made over is the Party Closet, except to organize the contents.

It is one of only two areas in my house that I have not painted or given a little decorative love. The other area is the walls in the entry/foyer.

Entertaining made easy - create a party closet. Look inside what is on shelves of a party supply closet.

I have organized the small items in baskets placed on the top shelves. I used these in the pantry in my previous house. On the other shelves are all the entertaining supplies we need and use from liquor, mixers, paper plates, plastic drink glasses, serving and mixing pitchers, my cardboard trays, utensils, candles, and more.

I will still keep all this in the closet, but as you can see from the color of the walls and shelves, they are a dingy off-white and could use a little refresh.

Closet organization storage home ideas. Create a party closet in your home to hold entertaining supplies. It will make entertaining easy.

I will pull everything out of the closet, clean it and then paint the shelves and walls. While I am at it, I will edit and remove what we no longer use and add new items like the LAKE LOVING “coozies” that were given to us over the weekend for keeping drink cans and bottles cold.

We have lots of liquor on the floor. Most of it is leftover from my daughter, Kelly’s wedding. We had to buy it to stock the reception bar. Any bottle that was not open was returned. After the wedding reception was over, we kept any bottles that were already open. We put a big dent in it while celebrating the Fourth this past weekend. :-)

Entertaining made easy idea. Look inside an entertaining or party supply closet that helps getting ready when you are hosting a get together in your home.

With the hot summer heat on outside, I think it is the perfect time to get the walls and shelves painted white so the Party Closet takes on the same fresh and white vibe as the rest of the house. :-)

Once I get the closet painted this week, I will take inventory and post AFTER photos and give you the details of what is in my party closet.

Once you get a party supply closet or even a party box or basket created and organized it will be like you have your very own party supply store right in your home. You can stock it with just the right stuff to host a party in the best possible way – easy and in your own style.

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12 Comments

  1. Not sure how I missed this when you first posted this. Your home looks just lovely.
    I wish I could take your eye and ideas for home transforms, but I’m much more skilled at reading and appreciating everything you do.

    Reply
    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Kat – Thanks :-) I always say if we all had the same passions and skill-sets what a boring world it would be. We all have our gifts, mine run along the decorating, visual realm of life. Put me in front of a bunch of numbers and my mind freezes.

      Reply
  2. Sue Bauman says:

    Diane, your party closet idea and the reasons for it are so logical and practical and having all the party stuff accounted for and gathered together would make it that much easier to get the party started! Also, as I read your blog, I got the feeling that soon we will be seeing a project from you that addresses the walls of your foyer! Hmmmm?

    Reply
    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Sue – I am not sure how soon I will be painting the entire foyer. Large ladders or scafoldding will be needed. I can easily do one wall and will probably do that this summer. It is not going to be a huge change though. Just going from off-white to more of a white white color.

      Reply

  3. Do you have any plans to remove your acoustic (popcorn) ceiling? That would be a great blog how o post!

    Reply
    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Diane –

      I did remove the popcorn ceiling in the upstairs guest bathroom. I used a spray bottle of water and a popcorn ceiling scraper. You can see the post, here: http://bit.ly/2xFv3Zg

      It is small space and I figured it would be a good room to try out the removal process. It made such a huge mess that I didn’t want to have my camera anywhere near all the slop and goo coming off the ceiling. It is a wet and messy job.

      The contractor who helped us with the removal of a wall told us we could be opening a can of worms if we remove the textured ceiling, especially in the kitchen :-( I try to think on the positive side…at least it is a white ceiling. :-)

      If I ever remove it in another room, I will write a full post about it. If you Google – Popcorn ceiling removal, I am sure a lot of You Tube videos will come up that will show you different ways to remove it.

      Reply

      1. I did the ceilings in our cottage style home, and it was messy but so worth it! Our ceilings had never been painted, and from what I understand, that makes the process much easier. Also because of the age of the house, there are no vaulted ceiling which made for easy access. My uncle, who was a professional painter at the time, discouraged me from trying to attempt the removal which only inspired me lol . I always enjoy your blog posts because they are so inspiring!

        Reply
        1. Diane Henkler says:

          Hi Diane – So you know first hand how messy it can be depending on what is underneath the popcorn coating. I wish I could understand why the textured popcorn ceiling was invented – I think to hide imperfections, but then they became the norm even for perfectly smooth ceilings. All I can say is…What were they thinking!?!

          Reply

          1. Diane, it’s both to hide imperfections and work as a sound absorber. Hence the name, acoustic ceiling. Every room I’ve been in with a popcorn ceiling has been quiet. :) I’ve learned to like them just because of the practical benefits… but the mess of cleaning them hasn’t turned me into a full convert yet!

          2. Diane Henkler says:

            Hi Mariele –

            I never knew that about popcorn ceilings, but it makes total sense. My house is the first house I have lived in that has them. Thanks for taking the time to tell me. I am not sure I will ever be a full convert either. :-)

  4. I really like this idea of a party closet. I wish I had a closet to do this. I really do not have enough closet or cabinet space.

    I also really, really love the look of your hallway from the wainscoting to the ‘faux’ transom window. It is just perfect as is the rest of your home.

    Reply
    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Kathy – Thanks In my previous house, I didn’t have a closet, I used a few baskets to hold the “party” stuff. Maybe you could find some low sided ones or boxes and have an under a bed style storage for your party supplies. This way it would not take up any closet or cabinet space.

      Reply